I Will Show Them
by malko050987
Summary: Fleur is not an animal, a creature to be dismissed. She will show them all that she is a powerful witch.


**I will show them**

by malko050987

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: Many thanks to Konrad for betaing this for me.

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The young woman closed her beautiful eyes and breathed deeply, leaning back in her seat. Through the window to her right she could see the patchwork of different crops on the land under them. She could hear a faint hiss from the windowpane; a stray breeze made a blond lock of hair flutter in her face.

Without showing any sign of annoyance, she pushed it back behind her ear and resumed staring out of the window. They were crossing over a large patch of water at the moment. By the looks of the waves on the water, it was a windy day.

Suddenly, she felt herself pushed towards the window as the magical carriage made a sharp turn. The ancient lock on the windowed door creaked under her weight and gave away a bit. Panicking, the woman pushed herself away from it, and hit somebody with her back.

Gently, but firmly, she was pushed back. Once again they were flying straight. A clump of rocks jutted out of the water under them, surrounded by water on all sides. Foam covered the base of the largest rock, and it was washed away and replaced by another as wave after wave crashed into the rock.

She sighed. Why had they insisted she'd come? She hadn't wanted to, but they had talked to her parents, and here she was, flying towards a stupid contest she never wanted to participate in.

The carriage, drawn by magnificent flying stallions, crossed over land and she closed her eyes, still seeing the rock, bravely facing the waves battering at it from all side. Behind her, in the large carriage, somebody whispered something and Fleur felt eyes on her before the sounds of laughter filled the air.

"What have I done to deserve this?" She asked herself for the thousandth time.

Ever since she had hit puberty and her Veela powers began to manifest themselves, she had had problems. At first, nothing major happened. A glazed look would appear in a boy's eyes if she winked at him, or if she smiled. Her first boyfriend had been her last as well. After that, her Veela powers had really kicked in, and no boy was able to be coherent around her.

After the events surrounding her relationship with _Jacques_, her female classmates had made it a personal matter to "protect the boys from her wiles".Of course, they didn't word it like that, if they ever did. They just always kept her company, never left her alone with a boy, and steered boys away from her, and to themselves.

As the two witches laughed again, Fleur caught a few words of their conversation and barely kept herself from bursting into tears.

The two were discussing Thomas Frère, the smartest boy in Beauxbatons. He would be graduating this year, as would Fleur. In class, the two of them would compete for the best work, the best grade, the best essay. Over the past year, it had become a way for them to silently communicate without the other girls knowing about it. The boy was handsome and smart, and Fleur felt attracted to him.

And now he was going out with Jeanne, Fleur's "best friend".

"How could he do this to me?" Fleur asked herself, even though she knew the answer.

She was a Veela. A half-breed. No self-respecting person would date or get involved with a Veela in a more than physical way. It wasn't done. She remembered how Jacques had been treated after their relationship; the way he'd defended her had seemed so brave. And nobody had listened. All they had seen was a young man who had obviously been enthralled by the Veela who couldn't control her powers properly.

"It's not the poor girl's fault, of course," the school board had said.

They had let her continue her studies normally, even though they kept an eye on her. It wasn't necessary. Her school results had gone up after that. Studying and moping was all she could do. Her group of friends hadn't allowed any boy to get close to her.

But they were going to see what she could do. She would show them all. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. They would see that even an 'empty-headed Veela' could win a tournament. She was better than them.

The sudden silence made her open her eyes and look around. Everybody was staring at her.

"Uhm..." she stuttered, not sure of what to say.

"Awww... eez the leetle Veela afraid of 'Ogwarts?" Jeanne taunted. Before Fleur could retort, the girl went on. "I'm sure eet will be fun. I can't wait to meet ze 'Ogwarts boys."

Fleur's face fell at the look in Jeanne's eyes. She hoped that she would be able to make a male friend at Hogwarts, but it seemed that they were ready to stop her even from that. Suddenly, a thought struck her and she smiled cheerily. "I am sure you will 'ave fun with ze 'Ogwarts boys," she said brightly, then turned back to the window, ignoring the sounds behind her.

She would show them. She would show them all. She was not an animal. She was Fleur Delacour, one of the best students in the school, and she was going to win the Triwizard Tournament and leave France forever. She could do it.

Still travelling at top speed, the carriage banked sideways and down as the giant palomino horses pulling it dived towards the ground. Once again pressed against the window, she could see the grass-covered grounds of Hogwarts castle.

There was a large forest where she could see it, and she felt a shiver go through her. The carriage was very close to the ground now, amd she could see the trees in the distance. They were not frienly, wizened trees. They looked old and hateful. She imagined them as a bunch of wold-weary men, wanting to keep everybody away.

As the carriage touched the ground and stopped, she stood and shook some lint off the shoulder of her robes.

She would show them what Fleur Delacour could do.


End file.
